Homecoming
by Kalira69
Summary: The Crimson Lion is home, new swag and new recruits safe in her hold, and Shiro is happily reunited with his lover. (Mermaid/Pirate AU. Written for Sheith Positivity Summer Week, Day 1.) (Where the Crimson Lion Calls Home series #3)


Written for Sheith Positivity Summer Week Day 1 - Sky/Sea.

I couldn't resist a mer!AU for _that_ prompt, and I mean, _obviously_ the pirates had to be airship pirates, as well. Obviously.

* * *

Shiro rolled over and angled upwards, swimming towards the surface, each powerful stroke of his tail sending startled fish scattering around him. He laughed, fins flicking, and reached out to catch one - gently - along the way.

A thick shadow crossed over him, and he released the fish again, tilting his head up and then- His eyes widened and he headed straight up to the air as fast as he could move. He burst through with a low leap and took a breath, his gills still flapping.

He'd been right. Blood red sails fluttered over the dark shadow of a familiar ship, high above the ocean.

The Crimson Lion was coming home. Shiro grinned, turning towards home himself and diving again. Beneath the surface, he could move faster, though he might or might not beat the ship there, depending on the Captain's hurry and the strength of the winds.

Shiro closed his eyes and smiled as he curved his tail, twisting his body into a spiral, his heart singing with delight. He dove deeper, choosing one of the underwater tunnels into the hidden cove rather than go further around the island to the treacherous strait where ships bound to the water's surface had to make their entrance. More treacherous still, if there were mers defending it.

By the time he swam into the hidden cove the Crimson Lion was settling into her berth, which cradled her just above the ocean. Shiro's smile widened and he turned a happy little somersault beneath the waves before arrowing towards the dock.

Keith's boots were the first to hit the dock, and he hadn't even waited for the gangplank to be locked into place, just vaulted over the railing. He loped towards the water as soon as he landed, leaving his crew to handle the ship. Shiro only slowed when he reached the end of the dock Keith was running down. A strong beat of his tail pushed him high enough to brace his hand on top of it, holding himself up.

Keith dropped to one knee, wearing a crooked grin that brightened his usually sharp eyes. He opened his mouth as he reached out, but Shiro barely let him get out a syllable of his greeting before stifling it with a kiss of welcome.

He laughed into Shiro's mouth, but returned his kiss eagerly. Keith's arms wrapped around his shoulders, careless of the seawater soaking into his crimson silk shirt from Shiro's skin, and Shiro gave a soft, pleased trill as his lover hugged him closer. He leaned into Keith's embrace, but couldn't return it here - not without dragging Keith into the sea along with him when he let go stopped supporting himself on the dock.

"Welcome home." Shiro said as their lips parted, Keith gasping slightly for air. Shiro nuzzled him affectionately, and Keith grinned, fingertips sliding into Shiro's hair, toying with it. "I missed you." he added honestly, and Keith's grin softened, small and sweet.

"I missed you too, precious." Keith said softly, his voice a little husky.

Shiro's fins fluttered with pleasure at both the endearment and the tone, and he kissed Keith again, just at the corner of his mouth.

A voice carried down the dock to them just as Keith was shifting to deepen the caress once more. "Is that a- a- _mermaid_?"

Shiro glanced around Keith to see the boatswain look heavenward and then pat an unfamiliar boy on the back. Shiro did not know all of Keith's crew _well_ , but . . . well enough to recognise them all, certainly.

" _Obviously._ " Lara told the unfamiliar boy with little patience.

Shiro laughed, nuzzling Keith's jaw. "We have some new recruits." Keith said, his voice dry, and Shiro's lips twitched.

"So I gather." he replied, listening to the conversation midway down the dock and trying not to laugh at the new pirate's wide eyes when he stole glances their way.

"Is that-"

"Yes he is a mer!" someone else shouted at the boy. Arawn, Shiro thought. "His name is _Shiro_ , and he'll probably be more patient with you than you deserve if you have questions for him - once the Captain's done with him."

Shiro laughed again, more softly this time. Keith's brows rose as he tilted his head, eyes sliding sideways, though he didn't quite turn to look behind himself. "Done with you, hm?" he asked archly.

Shiro leaned up a little more and brushed a kiss over Keith's cheek. "Go deal with your new crewmembers and get them settled." he murmured. "I'll wait for you."

Keith sighed, but he was a good Captain and he only displayed a little reluctance as he cupped Shiro's cheek, thumb stroking just beneath his eye. Then he rocked back on his heel and rose, turning back to his crew. Shiro smiled and pushed away from the dock, letting himself slide back into the cool embrace of the sea with a quiet splash.

"I was only asking- Is he - is Shiro - the . . . the one on the figurehead?" the same voice asked, a little more tremulous now. Shiro glanced at the ship's prow and his fins fluttered a little with embarrassed shyness. Keith's affection was . . . not subtle, and the figurehead _was_ Shiro, quite clearly so. Shiro carved proudly in pale ash and stark ebony wood, his exquisitely detailed scales burnished to a muted sheen.

"What do you think?" Pidge asked, her tone making it clear she thought she was speaking to a complete imbecile. Of course sometimes it didn't take much for Pidge to sound that way.

"What happened to his arm?" A different voice this time, a little bolder but still tentative. Shiro glanced down at the mass of scars left where his arm had been severed.

" _Do not_ ask him that." Keith's voice was heated and steely. Shiro sighed and peeked over the dock to see his lover flipping a knife in one hand, facing the new recruits. "It was an enemy attack." he added, his voice changing a little, an aching sound slipping into the undertone. "Don't ask him for details." He pointed the knife for emphasis.

 _Surely_ the fact that it was pointed directly at one new crewmember's eye was a coincidence. Shiro shook his head slightly, watching Keith's gaze cow the new recruits, who were soon all running off to make themselves useful.

Shiro hummed, slipping under the dock and closer to the Crimson Lion, curious to watch the crew unloading and see what they'd brought in this time, as well as the new crewmembers. He'd have to wait a while for Keith to finish with them before he got to _properly_ welcome his lover home anyway.

The slivered crescent of the moon was high in the sky before Keith found his way down to the water's edge - not by the dock, this time, but on a quiet stretch of rocky sand. Shiro had been waiting, further out, but Keith - divested of boots and shirt, which he'd left lying on a jagged rock near the water's edge - walked straight into the water before Shiro reached him.

Shiro curled his body around Keith's legs before pushing himself up and wrapping his arm around Keith's chest from behind. "Hello, baby." he crooned, nuzzling Keith's shoulder and bringing his lover down with him.

Keith only laughed, letting himself be taken down rather than drawing the luxite blade he still wore at the small of his back, even there in the sea. It was a surrender that would probably still shock some of Keith's more experienced crew, much less the new recruits.

Shiro smiled fondly and pulled Keith a little tighter to himself, flicking his tail - but gently, mindful of his lover's smaller body against his, no matter how tough Keith was - and sending them a little closer to the shore, into shallower water. Keith pushed away, turning to face him, but Shiro pulled him close again immediately and Keith rested against his right side, allowing himself to be supported in the water.

Shiro leaned back, holding them both easily, and brought his tail around to keep Keith buoyed up - all solid muscle, pared down to a lean frame built for speed and to overwhelm in a head-on battle, Keith sunk like a rock without assistance. Keith hummed contentedly, a soft rumble in his throat, and Shiro trailed his fingers up his lover's body. He was warm, even here in the cool sea.

Keith leaned up, trailing kisses along Shiro's jaw, bracing himself on Shiro's body to come closer and making him laugh. He wound the end of his tail, near the tail fin, around Keith's calves, holding him snugly, affectionate and teasing at once.

Keith made a startled sound but was little hampered by the grip - it wasn't meant for that, anyway. Shiro's fins fluttered and he wrapped his arm around Keith's back as well, giving in to the impulse to twine them together as much as he could, even in the calm waters so far into the sheltered cove.

Keith not only indulged him, but returned the gesture, legs folding around Shiro's tail and one arm slipping behind his shoulders. He was almost lying on top of Shiro, which was only a problem because-

The low waves lapped over Shiro's face as they unbalanced a bit, and he laughed and reluctantly unwound his tail. He gave a lazy stroke, moving them to a rock he could put his back against, allowing Keith to keep kissing him without risking inhaling seawater. Keith was very good at managing life half in the water, for a human, but he still couldn't _breathe_ it.

Once they were resituated a little more steadily, Keith took advantage of the new leverage to push his fingers through Shiro's shaggy hair and kiss him with more purpose, straddling Shiro's tail. He thrashed his tail, hand gripping one of Keith's slim hips.

Keith smiled against his mouth, rocking on top of him, against him, and Shiro wriggled and nipped playfully at his lip. Keith giggled, and gasped as Shiro's fingers teased along his side, but stretched out and let their kisses fall into something lazy and warm rather than building into need.

Tail fluttering, Shiro basked in the caresses, happy to have Keith back with him. Keith stroked one hand down his tail, short nails scraping against the edges of scales and sending shivers up and down Shiro's spine. He toyed lightly with one of Shiro's side fins, which looked so much more delicate than they truly were, but _were_ soft and sensitive compared to the tough scales protecting the body of his tail.

Shiro's hand slid up Keith's back to knead lightly at the nape of his neck, splaying his fins invitingly a little wider. Keith's callused fingers stroked the vanes between the slim bones, tickling slightly and pulling a startled chirrup from Shiro's throat.

Another lingering kiss, then Keith pulled back with a sly grin and turned his attention to the ticklish stretches in Shiro's fins as he furled them again, thrashing and yet trying not to throw his lover off either. Keith tumbled into the water after a few minutes, kicking and laughing, but only used the sudden shift to reach Shiro's tail fin - not as sensitive as the ones higher up his body, but a much bigger field to play with.

Shiro burst out laughing, the sound mingling with more chirps and clicks. He curled his tail around Keith, though, fingers finding his belt, and hauled his lover up and into his lap as he bent. Keith let himself be pulled there happily, giving a bright grin and leaning against Shiro's chest. He nipped at Shiro's neck, just below his gills, and Shiro shivered and folded his tail up even further, pressing Keith tightly between it and his chest.

Keith gentled his nipping bites, nuzzling sweetly instead. Shiro trilled, voice low, and relaxed against the rock, loosening the clasp of his tail a little.

"We took longer than I'd hoped." Keith said with a sigh, stroking lightly down and then up over Shiro's tail, almost meditative. The touch was just heavy enough to send a prickling wave of sensation up Shiro's tail as his scales shifted minutely under his lover's hand with each upward stroke.

"Recruiting is unpredictable." Shiro pointed out, voice low, rubbing his knuckles just above the crest of Keith's hip bone.

Keith nodded, lips pursing.

"Did the rest of your trip go well?" Shiro asked, though he could guess from what he'd seen after the ship docked. Keith grinned.

"Yes." He sounded quite self-satisfied, and it made Shiro grin back. "Quite a haul, and we've already sold off a good chunk of it."

Shiro arched his brows and Keith's grin turned sly. "Some of it slid right back to the same coffers. And I've seen some of those pretties five times now." He laughed. "Should start keeping a tally if those fools can't keep their hands on their jewels. A log book, maybe." he teased.

Shiro laughed at the thought, and Keith stroked his cheek, leaning forwards and bumping their brows together gently. "Something new for you, too." Keith murmured, and Shiro gave an inquisitive click as he nuzzled affectionately in return. "Surprise. It's waiting back in my quarters, though. Didn't want to risk squashing anything when I came out to meet you." he teased, hooking his legs around Shiro's tail. "You're always so . . . enthusiastic."

Shiro grinned, not even the least embarrassed to be called on it, and wound his tail around Keith's legs in return. Gently, because Keith might have a powerful frame for his size amongst humans, but his legs were so weak when set against Shiro's powerful tail.

"Well I look forward to it," Shiro said, curiosity and eagerness niggling at him, "and I'm curious," he admitted, "always, but I'm gladder not to have to hold back when I welcome you home." He wriggled his hips and Keith broke into a startled laugh at the rasp of Shiro's scales over the wet fabric of his pants.

"I like it when you don't hold back." Keith told him, arms looping around his neck, elbows bent just enough to keep any pressure off his gills. "I never want to hold back when I come home to you."

Shiro flicked his fins, preening a little, and Keith's legs tightened around his tail, the affectionate clasp shifting into something more like overt possession. Shiro loved it and shifted just enough to encourage Keith to hold him tighter. Keith gave him a playful look that said _I know your game, precious_ as clearly as if he'd voiced it, but did just that.

Shiro trilled softly and squeezed Keith around the waist, closing his eyes as his lover kissed him again, slow and sweet this time.

* * *

The 'surprise' Keith brought is a new kind of fruit from halfway around the world. Shiro likes fruit and some time ago expressed to Keith that bringing him new sparklies is very sweet but honestly as much as he likes them there's only so many he really needs.

I have way too much backstory and settings and some ideas that may become further little stories connected to this. Oops.

I'll be back tomorrow with the next story for this Event Week!


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